Trump the clown exits stage right

Readers of Right Turn know that I never took Donald Trump seriously and never imagined he’d actually run. I was quite dismissive of those in the media who took him seriously, after fanning the birther angle and hawking his candidacy. No, I am not surprised, then that he says he’s not running for president. His excuse is classic Trump:

“I maintain the strong conviction that if I were to run, I would be able to win the primary and ultimately, the general election,” Trump said in a statement. “Ultimately, however, business is my greatest passion and I am not ready to leave the private sector.”

You can’t blame Trump for being Trump, the master of self-promotion. But it does make you wonder about the punditocracy, the cable TV show bookers and some reporters. They either have ludicrously poor predictive powers (Who knew he’d just be leading us on?) or have contempt for news consumers (Whatever the traffic will bear!).

Aside from a reminder that the punditocracy collectively has less common sense that Newt Gingrich, this should be a reminder to Republican voters. These are serious times that require grown-up leaders. Trump leaves and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) brings his slide show to the Economic Club of Chicago. That’s what you call a study in contrast.